Longing

Mori
Itsukishima
Hiroshima Prefecture
April 6

To Ojiisan, Obaasan, and Chihiro-basan:

Nothing makes me more homesick than an afternoon at Little Tokyo. There is little in the city in the way of greenery, so I crave for every little hint of home. Last weekend, my employer and I joined a few of our other friends and acquaintances for an afternoon of food, photography, and good company. I saw Sachiko-san again, but she was quite preoccupied elsewhere. Seth was unbent enough to accompany me the entire day.

Again, Chris-neesan wanted to document each moment, and she wasn't taking no for an answer! But it was obvious that I found myself an unexpected ally in Mr. Midnight.

Midori: Excuse me, Chris-neesan? You really want me to sit on this rock? Aren't you afraid I'll fall?

Seth: Uh... I suppose if I put my arm here, you'd be better supported.

Midori: Okay... Thank you, then.


Midori: What a great shady spot! Let's take a picture... but uhm, you can remove your arm now, Mr. Midnight.

Seth: There was a beetle.

Midori: What kind? Is it a Trechinae Carabidae?

Seth: More like Invisibilae.

Midori: An Invisibilae Carabidae? I don't recall being familiar with one of that species.

Seth: Recent discovery.

Was he laughing behind my back? I really have no idea what to make of him. One minute he's very solicitous of others, the next one he gives me the brush-off. I'm still glad that he was more than civil that day. Towards the end of the afternoon, we realized that we had somehow broken away from the others, but that didn't seem to bother my business-like employer. We ended up spreading a picnic blanket on the ground; I presented him with some cakes and pastries that I made for the occasion. Seth seemed to like it. He seems to like a lot of things these days.

And somehow, at the end of the day, I wasn't really as homesick as I thought I was.

Always,
Midori

A Day at the (Other) Office

Mori
Itsukishima
Hiroshima Prefecture
March 12

To Ojiisan, Obaasan, and Chihiro-basan:

Perhaps taking pity on my overworked state, Chris-neesan took Seth and me to her new office. The place is a rather big studio of red and white walls. So very industrial and modern. I confess an ignorance to interior design, but from the approving looks of Chris-neesan's colleagues, it must be quite impressive. Large block letters that spell out their company's name greets visitors at their reception area, which Chris-neesan declared the perfect place for our photoshoot.



Notice that Seth and I were joined with another person. He was Mr. Grey St. John, but there was barely enough time to speak with him. I found it quite rude that Seth insisted on staying away from him. I was too tired to argue with him this time, but I do hope that I'll have better sense than to listen to Seth the next time we encounter Mr. St. John. I am not quite sure if you will approve of him, Obaasan, with his wild looks, but he gave me no reason to doubt that he was a perfect gentleman.

Maybe I'm not giving Seth enough credit, though. For all his cool posturing, he does seem to look out after me. Of course, he looks out for the Agency first and foremost, but perhaps I come a distant second. Today he made sure that I ate properly and he never left my side even when Chris-neesan did. Now, now, don't get mad at Chris-neesan; she had other things on her mind. Besides, as I pointed out, it was not as if I was really alone.

Yours,
Midori

The Different Roles We Play

Mori
Itsukishima
Hiroshima Prefecture
February 27

To Ojiisan, Obaasan, and Chihiro-basan:

I suppose I should have clarified what it meant to be Seth Midnight's assistant. After a few days of filing his paperwork, he hands me my first 'assignment.'

I should not have been thrilled. Here was how our conversation went:

Midori: You want me to go to a garage? Was there a car theft?

Seth: No, they need someone to fill in during the 3-6 shift for the next five days.

Midori: So I'm to go undercover? Why, is the boss harassing his employees? Is the garage a front for a drug-smuggling operation?

He clears his throat, looks deeps into my eyes, and says...

Seth: Midori, we operate a detective agency that just might find us dealing with the other side of the law. We can't very well advertise ourselves as such. We let our clients find us -- and believe me, if they're desperate enough, they will find us. So to the rest of the world, Midnight Confidential doesn't exist. What does exist is the Midnight Cleaners and Temp Services.

Midori: The Midnight whatta--?

Seth: (goes back to reading his paper) I knew from the get-go your obsessive-compulsiveness was just what I needed to operate. I'm temping you out at 3 PM. I hope that I will not need to remind you to be punctual.

So there I was, unaware of what dual overhead cams were, and suddenly I needed to know how a car worked. And we never even owned one! I suppose Ojiisan's prediction that 'we're going to need one in the future' was somehow right, Obaasan. Anyway, it was lucky for Midnight Cleaners and Temp Services, I was a quick study -- at least, enough of a quick study to tell the camshaft from the crankshaft and not be an embarrassment to anyone. I rather thought I did well, all things considered.

(Except for that time when I forgot to change a client's piston rings. I did apologize profusely.)

Of course, being a garage mechanic was only the beginning. Fortunately, though, Seth seemed to pick up that I wasn't too keen on getting jobs like that so the next one he gave me was comparably cleaner -- I worked as a waitress at a sushi restaurant. It was a good thing I had previous experience waiting on people that this time, it didn't seem like a task at all.

I discovered something surprising, though. When I returned to the office late one night, I found Seth Midnight sleeping on his desk.



Funny how he didn't look the least bit cold or sarcastic while he was sleeping. I suppose it would have been strange if he did. I often wondered what the man did during the day aside from read his newspaper or scribble his notes while I slaved away on his temp jobs but there was something almost vulnerable about him in that position that I lost my irritation.




I thought maybe I would just tell him tomorrow.

Your Midori

His New Assistant

Mori
Itsukishima
Hiroshima Prefecture
February 9

To Ojiisan, Obaasan, and Chihiro-basan:

When Mr. Seth Midnight unexpectedly called and asked me to meet with him, I was more than prepared to engage in a verbal tussle. I am aware that I had let my emotions get the better of me during our previous exchanged but I was now ready to meet him head-on.

So imagine my surprise when he said he wanted me to be his assistant. It seems that Mr. Midnight is a detective, and he was pretty impressed with the way I broke into his office. Also, he claimed that my paper showed clear thinking, excellent organization, and an almost obsessive attention to detail. I was floored.

(Again, I shall quote him verbatim. I suppose if I will be recounting all my conversations you shall have to get used to this.)

Seth: So will you take the job, Midori-san? Or will you have to consult your grandparents in Miyajima first?

Midori: H-how did you know that?

Seth: When I said I was in the business of investigating, please don't mistake it for haphazard fabrication of theories. I am good at what I do. You smell distinctly of vanilla, and you left that scent in this room when you personally delivered your paper which, by the way was impeccable, save for that tiny smudge of food on the last page. Upon closer examination, I deduced that it is dragonfruit-flavored momiji manju. While momiji manju is not exclusive to your island of Miyajima, the only shop to produce such a flavor is located there. Someone must have sent it to you. And since Miyajima is so small, a quick look at the registry shows only one listing for a Mori family -- an elderly couple and their locksmith daughter, your aunt. Am I right?

I couldn't even nod. But was this man ever long-winded!

Seth: Or actually, I could have just called your former employer and asked. She did mention that one of your best qualities was that you were even-tempered and practical. You no longer have a job. I am offering you one. While it seems that we have started off on the wrong foot, I can assure you that as long as you do as you're instructed we will have a very efficient working relationship.

Put like that, how could I refuse? So that was how I ended up working for Midnight Confidential.

Practically,
Your Midori

The Insufferable Seth Midnight

Mori
Itsukishima
Hiroshima Prefecture
January 29

To Ojiisan, Obaasan, and Chihiro-basan:

It is quite possible that I have met the most insufferable man on the planet.

By now you know how much I've enjoyed working at Barbie's. Well, I was eagerly on my way there when I noticed a strange sight. The sign on the cafe door read 'Closed", which was a shock in itself, but there was also the fact that our chairs and tables were piled outside.

When the door opened, I came face to face with said insufferable man. I immediately demanded to know where Barbie-san and the others were and what he was doing to our cafe.

(At this point, I feel compelled to repeat our argument verbatim so that you may the kind of person I was dealing with.)

Seth: My name is Seth Midnight. The previous proprietor agreed to sell the building to me, so I've shut down the the establishment previously operating here. As to her whereabouts, it is of little significance to me so I didn't bother obtaining that information.

Midori: B-but this is where we work! This is what Barbie-san does for a living!

Seth: True, the owner was a bit discombobulated when I paid her cash for this space, but she seemed only too happy to take the money home.

Midori: I don't know where you're from but around here, those things just aren't done without proper notice.

Seth: May I point out that the fact that it has happened constitutes a possibility?

Midori: You can't just do that!

Seth: I think you have a severe problem accepting facts.

The man was infuriating! I stomped away. I knew I wasn't going to get anywhere.

Instead, I made sure I had the right ammuntion. I went home and researched ideal courses of action that would benefit all parties involved -- and if he wasn't satisfied with that, I also detailed legal actions that I would take for Barbie-san's sake. It took me all day and all night but the results were worth it.

But the building was locked when I visited it the next day. But did I let that stop me? Of course not. Chihiro-basan, I hope you know that there is an exception to every rule and Mr. Seth Midnight is one such exception. So I used everything you taught about lock-picking, broke in, and left my excellent paper on his desk. Believe me, that's ALL I DID! I certainly refused to touch anything else in that office.

You see, I was pretty sure that he would have just thrown my paper away if I had left it outside his door. I had to make sure that he read it, and of course, I wanted to get his attention.

That got his attention all right; he called me that evening and offered me a job.

I swear, he is the most irritating, impossible, -- confusing -- man that I have ever met.

Midori

A Home of My Own

Mori
Itsukishima
Hiroshima Prefecture
January 23

To Ojiisan, Obaasan, and Chihiro-basan:

Now I know what the surprise Chris-neesan had been cooking up! She has given me my own personal space. Not that I didn't have my own room before, just that it wasn't as private as this one. Isn't it lovely?

The room was bare when I first saw it, as expected, but Chris-neesan and I still shared a small housewarming meal to get things going. Then we slowly added some stuff here and there: green wallpaper (as it has always been my favorite color), a cozy pink bed, a small green and blue vanity table, and even prints of my favorite Van Gogh paintings. I bought the prints with my hard-earned money from my part-time job; I am so pleased.

Chris-neesan had asked me to sew a few things a few weeks ago, and I suspect that they will find their place here. She promises that we will have curtains and other things soon, and I can't wait. Even if this room still a work in progress, I've realized that it's lovely to have all this space to myself. I can slip off my shoes and just relax -- and find things to ruminate over!

I don't have enough room for you right now, but I'd love for it if you can come visit me sometime. Please say you will?

Your Midori

Being Mori

Mori
Itsukishima
Hiroshima Prefecture
January 21

To Ojiisan, Obaasan, and Chihiro-basan:

Chris-neesan had her good friend Brian-niisan over this weekend. Delighted to have someone to show around, she took us to a mangrove forest that covered the coastline. It was my first time at such a place. There were almost 70 hectares of mangroves stretching out to the city; the thought is simply mind-boggling. The forest loomed thick and tall around us but it was comforting, in a way. Maybe this comes from being a Mori, ne? ^^ ; (Forgive my silly jokes, Chihiro-basan; I know you're not laughing!)

It was a long walk through the forest as we made our way across a narrow foot bridge. We even crossed a river to get to where we wanted to go! You know that I normally do not shy away from hikes, but that foot bridge seemed too rickety to me that I stayed close to Chris-neesan.

I felt better when we reached the beach. Chris-neesan and Brian-niisan rented a small cottage where they could just talk and eat banh mi, some Vietnamese sandwiches they brought from home. It was quite windy that morning, which Chris-neesan seemed to love because it was so relaxing. She let her feet dangle from the cottage as she leaned out over the beach. She bid me do the same, gesturing towards a nearby tree. I had my fears, of course, but I still gave it a try.

Finally, when they had exhausted nearly every other topic of conversation known to man, they decided that it was time to head home. This time, I wasn't so dubious of the foot bridge and took a couple of tentative steps of my own. Somehow, Chris-neesan had goaded Brian-niisan into taking a few photos of me. There were definitely more photos of me than there were of the two of them!

Was I exhausted after that long walk? Not a bit! I suppose when I think of how important such a mangrove plantation is in protecting the coastline, I feel rejuvenated that there are still a lot of things that we can do. Itsukishima is not the only natural treasure I know!

Waiting for the world to change,
Your Midori